These are the names most frequently mentioned to take over the Telecommunications Subsecretariat in the new government of president-elect José Antonio Kast.

According to industry sources, Alberto Jara is the leading candidate. While he has not yet been formally contacted, sources say he would be willing to take on the role, particularly if the administration focuses on regulatory simplification.

A lawyer and regulatory consultant specializing in telecommunications, Jara already has experience at Subtel, where he served as a strategic projects coordinator and was responsible for drafting the bidding terms for the 5G auction carried out during Pamela Gidi’s tenure in Sebastián Piñera’s second administration.

Jara currently runs his own firm, Pasadena Consulting, working mainly with telecom tower operators and fiber deployment companies.

As for Romina Garrido, she is a lawyer and a director at the Prieto law firm, where she leads the data protection, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence practices. She is also a director and founder of Privacy Consulting and chairs the Commission for the Implementation of the Data Protection Law. She previously served as a legislative adviser to the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications during Sebastián Piñera’s administration.

Within the industry, her name has raised questions. While she is widely recognized for her expertise in data protection, the telecommunications sector is currently facing a critical moment unrelated to that field, marked by Telefónica’s efforts to exit the Chilean market amid financial sustainability challenges with four mobile operators and high regulatory demands. The market is said to be leaning toward Alberto Jara.

In any case, these were not the first names considered. Several candidates had been mentioned earlier, including Claudio Anabalón, Entel’s head of Corporate Affairs and Institutional Relations, who reportedly received an offer from the president-elect but declined it.

Kast is also said to have offered the post to José Juan Bruner, a business engineer currently working at Montblanc Consulting, who previously served as an adviser to the presidential cabinet and to the deputy minister of Economy during Piñera’s second term. Bruner also reportedly turned down the offer.

Another candidate who is said to have declined the position is Eduardo Gárate, who served as chief of staff to former telecommunications deputy minister Francisco Moreno between 2021 and 2022. The name of José Huerta, former chief of staff to deputy minister Pamela Gidi, also reportedly fell out of consideration.